East African telecommunications company Wingu Africa and pan-African talent cloud technology company Gebeya have announced an ambitious partnership aiming to create a robust pool of skilled data centre technologists, with at least one-fifth being women.
The partnership will result in the certification of 1,000 young people in data centre infrastructure and technologies within a year through a first-of-its-kind talent cloud platform. The groundbreaking project aims to onboard, support, manage, skill and certify these individuals in data centre infrastructure and technologies.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Gebeya in this transformative initiative,” said Demos Kyriacou, Co-founder and Deputy CEO of Wingu Africa. “Our partnership will not only enhance the skills of many individuals but will also create significant employment opportunities in the data centre sector. This initiative aligns perfectly with our mission to develop skilled talent and drive technological growth across the continent.”
Key features of the talent cloud initiative are:
Onboarding and upskilling: The first phase involves onboarding 1,000 individuals and equipping them with skills in data centre infrastructure and technologies. CompTIA, a respected American non-profit trade association, will provide the curriculum and content.
Talent matching: Once a pool of at least 100 skilled individuals is formed, the second phase will focus on matching these talents with employment or consultancy opportunities in the data centre space.
Introducing ecosystem participants: The third phase will be to introduce talent, customers, and partners to utilise the Wingu data centre and its ecosystem.
Expansion and sustainability: In the final phase, Gebeya will act as a node or distributor of domain names for numerous start-ups hosted within Wingu Africa’s infrastructure.
“Gebeya is the ideal partner for this initiative” added Kyriacou. “Their talent management and technology expertise will help us build a pool of robust talent that will support our data centres in Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Tanzania. This partnership will also enhance our technical workforce and provide unprecedented opportunities for women in technology, with at least 20% of the talent pool being women.”
Amadou Daffe, CEO of Gebeya, said: “Partnering with Wingu represents a significant step forward in our mission to develop and deploy skilled talent across Africa. This talent cloud initiative will equip individuals with essential data centre skills and create sustainable employment opportunities that drive economic growth in the region. We are excited to work alongside Wingu to make this vision a reality.”
